


Savages

by Aseikh



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: (Will is the Damsel in Distress), Assault, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Attempted Sexual Assault, Damsels in Distress, Decapitation, F/M, Gore, Implied F/F, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, Molestation, Murder, Murder Mystery, Rape Aftermath, Serial Killers, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-09
Updated: 2016-08-09
Packaged: 2018-07-26 22:19:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7592437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aseikh/pseuds/Aseikh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A midnight murderer, assaulting men and women in attempts for gold, sex, and gore. Will and Alyss go undercover to catch the culprit, not realizing that the situation they were inserting themselves into was a lot more dangerous than expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part 1

_Once more, the shadow savagely kicked the form on the ground, hissing their fury._

_After everything they had gone through, and the bitch had nothing on her. Not even a single coin. Again, the shadow swung a steel shod shoe into the body’s ribs, making the body roll across the floor. The woman moaned, and tried to wrench her arms from underneath her body, trying to sit up._

_Taking its advantage at seeing her raise her body, the shadow hooked its foot, and slammed it into her underside, straight in-between her ribs. Her scream was cut off as the foot was raised back up, and smashed into the back of her head, crushing her face into the ground and pulverizing what the attacker had left of her face. They had already mutilated it earlier, when they had taken her for theirself. She hadn’t wanted it, but they had, so the shadow hadn’t bothered to listen to her._

_Grabbing the collar of the fallen woman, they once more began dragging her through the dust, towards the ominous cylinder in the distance._

_The woman was still, until they came upon the well._

_She must’ve seen it out of her one good eye, for she started to struggle harder, pulling against the shadow’s grip. They let go, watching the woman struggle away, trying to save the ruins of her life. It was a futile effort. They swung again, adding as much force as they could, beating their foot into the side of her body._

_Her cracked ribs gave out, crunching in on her, impaling organs. She collapsed without a sound, a simple, startled look on what was left of her face._

_“I’ll have to choose more carefully for this not to happen again, Beka, darling,” they murmured, grabbing her underneath her armpits with both hands, and dragging her back to the well’s edge. Even as the person hoisted her up, and over the edge, she didn’t moan or struggle anymore. A trickle of blood rolled down from the corner of her mouth._

_“I hope you won’t mind the company down there. They can be mean sometimes, but once you get to know them, you’ll fit right in,” the shadow told the woman, Beka, assumedly. “You’ll have plenty to talk about, mostly me, I guess, but that’ll take up your time. Until you die, that is.”_

_Slinging her over their shoulder, they started to lean over the edge to drop her in._

_One last try, she must’ve thought. Her elbow came back, hitting the shadow in the back of their head, cracking painfully behind the ear. She was dropped to the ground, and she attempted to get to her feet, but her damaged insides cramped, and she fell down onto her bloody face instead. Beka began to crawl away once more, hoping that her blow had incapacitated her attacker._

_Except, their blow came sooner than she expected._

_The steel toed boot slammed into the side of her head, splattering blood across the ground, and up onto the stones of the well._

_“You have got to be shitting me,” the shadow growled, kicking around in the dust and sand to make the blood clump up and disappear._

_They grabbed Beka’s feet, completely limp. As far as they could tell, her pulse no longer beat, and her lungs stopped processing air. She was dead. Even so, they still had to get rid of the body._

_Whistling a jolly tune, they once more hoisted Beka up onto their shoulders, and carried her a short way back to the well. They glanced down into the depths, wondering exactly how many souls stared back up at them. Smiling, they shouldered Beka’s body, and let it tumble down into the void._

_They waited to hear the splash, the crunch of the body hitting the pile of bones, before walking away, dusting off their hands on their pants._

* * *

Alyss shifted in her seat, bringing her clasped hands from atop Will’s sternum, to just below his bellybutton. The movement pressed her against his back for a moment. Being married for three years, Will’s natural instinct was to settle back against her, and enjoy their close proximity. But the character he was supposed to be playing, a newly married young man, would do more than just settle back and smile if someone were watching.

Will let go of the reins with one hand, and settled it on her thigh comfortably. He pulled her closer, so that her chest was once more pressed against his back.

Giggling, Alyss let her hands drop a few more centimeters.

The caravan that was making their way towards them got closer. The people in the lead smiled uncomfortably when they realized how much fun the young couple they were passing were having. Awkwardly, they looked away. As they passed each other, Will waved happily, not-so-stealthily nudging his wife to wave as well.

A woman broke away from the end of the caravan, approaching Will and Alyss. To be polite, Will pulled Tug to a stop, and waited for the young woman to come up to them. Alyss moved her hands to Will’s hips, smiling as she rested her chin on Will’s shoulder.

“Good day,” Alyss said, appraising the woman. The newcomer wore trousers like a man, and a dusty white shirt. The courier watched as the woman glanced at Alyss’ dress, which was her normal courier dress disguised with a green corset and trimmings. Will smiled as the approaching woman’s smile faltered at seeing young, and apparently reckless, couple.

“Good day, friends,” the stranger said, raising her hand in greeting. “I don’t mean to intrude, but may I ask where you’re heading?”

Will smiled, and patted Alyss’ thigh with his hand. “My wife and I are headed to Seacliff for our honeymoon. We’ve heard that it’s beautiful there, and very little crime.”

The woman nodded, a tight smile transforming her face. “Will you be riding through, or stopping for the night?” Seacliff wasn’t too far from their location, although it was far enough that some people would stop for the night. On a standard Ranger trip, Will would have continued all the way through.

“We were going to ride through, although Allison here is famished, so we were considering on stopping. Why?” Will had made up the name from nowhere. They knew their roles, the stereotypes they were supposed to fall into, but they had never decided on names. Alyss’ was now Allison, apparently. Eventually, she would end up making up a name for him, and both would be stuck with those aliases.

“Just recently, a few women went missing and came up dead and violated in the forest near Kaister,” the woman explained, “and none of the town watch has had any luck catching the bastard who did it, and no Ranger seems to be coming. My advice is to ride through, even if you are hungry. And don’t spend the night there, or you might not leave the next morning.” She looked pointedly at Alyss, who made a point to bite her lip and scoot closer to Will.

She seemed serious, her eyes flicking between the couple in front of her, the receding caravan, and behind her—supposedly towards the mentioned town, Kaister.

Will nodded, “I appreciate the warning, thank you. My wife and I would prefer to make it to Seacliff in one piece,” he added the last piece as a light joke, looking back and smiling at Alyss.

The stranger nodded. “Stay safe, friend, and enjoy your honeymoon.” She turned her horse’s head down the path, and kicked it’s side, causing it to break into a gallop. As she and her horse sprinted back to the safety of the caravan, Will and Alyss turned to watch her go, leaning forward.

_The shadow licked its lips, seeing the blonde’s dress ride up as she watched the other whore ride away. The wind pushed it up even more, revealing her bottom. Her white panties hid nothing from the shadow’s eyes._

“Think she’s serious?” Alyss murmured, turning back to face Will. “I thought we were just dealing with a murder or two.”

The Ranger shrugged, and turned back around. Without him needing to signal Tug, the little horse continued to plod on down the road, towards their destination. “Probably. Depending on how they turned up, it could be obvious that they were raped, or they could have checked.”

Alyss wrinkled her nose, knowing what her husband meant by ‘checked’. Once more, Alyss wrapped her hands around Will’s chest, leaning comfortably against his back. Feeling a breeze against her hip, she realized that her dress had ridden up. Discreetly, she released a hand from Will to pull the dress back down to cover her bottom.

A few minutes passed in silence, the young couple falling back into the rhythm of traveling.

 “How many people were killed?” Alyss asked out of boredom, her cheek pressed against Will’s neck. Previously, she had been trying to get some shut eye, but something kept bothering her, itching at the back of her skull. A sixth sense, the one that told you that you weren’t alone. Unable to fall asleep, she decided to see how else Will reasoned through their current mission.

“Two women, both found naked and bruised in the forest nearby,” Will said, his voice colored with a streak of sadness. “Another one has been missing for a few days, but no body has turned up.”

Sitting up, Alyss ran a hand through her hair, which had been sheared short for the trip. Instead of going down her back in waves, it curled in on itself just underneath her chin. It was an elegant style, but one easy to maintain—and one that was now the norm for the young adults of the middle class. “That’s part of our mission, right?” Alyss straightened her back, looking over Will’s head to see how far they had to go. “To kill or detain the murderer and find any missing persons?”

Will nodded, “If we can.”

_The shadow **smirked,** knowing that the couple would **never** find Beka. Remembering the woman it had taken a few days before, the shadow’s hand drifted towards between it’s legs…_

“That’s the town up there?” Alyss said, pointing to a small building visible through the dimness of the forest. It was smaller than she had expected, seeing only three buildings. The Inn on one side, two stories high as was custom. And then on the other side of the road they traveled was what looked to be a blacksmith’s and a general store.

“Kaister is mainly compiled of multiple, small groupings of public buildings and sellers like this. Kaister more or less refers to an area, not a town.” Will shifted in his seat, falling back into the persona of a young, horny man, waiting to get to an inn room with his wife. He smiled, wondering if people would expect them to be loud that night. Maybe, he thought to himself, they could still have a little fun with this trip, despite the dreadful circumstances that brought them here.

Alyss looked around, peeking through the trees to a few fields that could be seen. “And basically the farmers go drink at whichever Inn is closest?”

“Basically,” Will confirmed, once more patting her leg. A few women stood outside the blacksmith’s, who seemed to be waiting for a man who was arguing inside.

Behind him, Alyss waved happily to them, laughing as, on the side away from the women, Will’s hand drew up her leg, underneath her skirt.

Slipping down from Tug’s saddle, the courier held a hand beside her dress skirt to keep it down, cursing the shorter cut. Before, it had been down to her heels, and she could have easily ridden double in a dress like that. But her modified dress was cut to the knees, forcing her to have to readjust it every few minutes.

Will slipped down beside her, and hand-in-hand, they walked into the stables. Together they chatted, about random things they could think of that a young, newly married couple would talk about after their wedding. Will handled caring for Tug, taking off the saddle and brushing him down and giving him oats and water while Alyss, still struggling to keep her dress at a comfortable length, leaned against the stall’s wall watching him.

Eventually, Will was satisfied that Tug was comfortable, mainly when the small horse craned his neck to look at Will, and snorted as he shook his mane. “That’s our cue to get the hell out of here,” Will said jokingly, wrapping his arm around Alyss’ waist. As another patron of the Inn walked in, probably to collect the black mare that had already been inside, Will dropped his hand a few centimeters, so his hand was firmly placed upon her butt.

They smiled to the man as they walked out, and he smiled back, albeit, uncomfortably.

Taking the long way, Will and Alyss went around the side of the Inn, towards the back. The yard behind the Inn stretched back a few dozen yards before a wooden fence separated them from what looked to be the start of a farm’s grazing area. A few cattle could be seen in the distance, munching on some grass at the top of the hill. In the middle of the dusty area between the fence and the door, a well stood by itself. A worn wooden bucket laid discarded beside the stone cylinder, some of the mortar between the stones crumbling down around the bucket. Wooden sticks stood up and across to where they met above the well, with a small crank with rotted string wrapped around the handle. An old well, probably no longer used.

They stood there for a good hour or so, watching the cows go up and down the hill, looking for grass they hadn’t eaten yet. In the distance, just over the top of the hill, they could see the top gable of a farmhouse. The gable cut a small piece of the sun out like a cake, the rest of it shining orange as it descended from the sky.

“Let’s go inside,” Alyss murmured, “I’m actually hungry this time.”

Will snorted, wrapping his arm back around her waist and drawing her against him. “And I want to make sure we won’t have to sleep with Tug for the next few days,” he murmured, smirking.

Walking back around to the front, Will held the front door open for Alyss, and followed in after her.

The barroom had about ten people within, most around the same table near the fire. They were loud and rowdy, probably half way gone from when Will had seen a few of them walk in as he and Alyss walked around the side. None of them looked up as the couple walked in, half of the table guffawing at something a woman at the end said, and the other half either slapping their heads or banging them on the table and groaning.

At the bar, a rough looking man looked up. He wore the stained white shirt that was nearly uniform for any and all innkeepers, and brown pants tucked into mud covered work boots. An even more stained apron was wrapped around his hips, folded down so it only covered his pants. Seeing the newcomers, the man set the glass he was cleaning down, and flipped the rag over his shoulder. Dusting his hands on the apron, he smiled agreeably. Dimples appeared on his thin, tanned face, showcasing his deep green eyes. Whoever he was, Will considered, he was probably a likable man, a friend to everyone. And, judging by the way he appraised them, drinking in their appearances as if to copy them down for later note—he was a gossiper.

Well, actually, Will could tell that from the way he’d been whispering to the boy who stood beside him, who had grinned and laughed at the table of drunk farmers.

“Hello there, travelers,” the innkeeper nodded, putting both of his hands on the bar in front of him, “what can I get for ‘ya?”

Will smiled at hearing the rough, Scotti accent. The man didn’t look Scotti, but he definitely sounded like one. “Hello, sir,” he said, tilting his voice so he sounded as if he were from further south than he was, “my wife and I would like a room, if one is available. And some dinner would be nice, too.”

The innkeeper nodded again, turning around and motioning to the boy behind him. “Well, my wife just took some lamb off the fire, if you’re interested. And we have plenty of vacancies, if you can pay, that is.”

As Will and the innkeeper settled the pricing of the room, in addition to a quick meal before they went upstairs, Alyss looked around the Inn, knowing she should get to know the place. She hoped her curiosity looked just as it was—curiosity—and nothing that would make people suspect that they weren’t who they said. Someone opened the door from the outside, bringing in a gust of wind. Instinctively, her hands went down to grab at the hem of her dress to keep it down.

When she looked up, however, there was no one new in the room. And no one had left, as no one had been at the door to open it. She swallowed, narrowing her eyes as she studied the corners of the large room for any oddly shaped shadows. Anything new.

But that was a futile effort, and she knew that. She had barely glanced around the room when the door opened, she couldn’t pick out minor differences seconds later.

“Allison, sweetie,” Will said, drawing her attention back to the bar. As she walked back up beside him, smiling as the barman appraised her, she glanced towards the stairwell, seeing thick shadows in the area.

“This is my wife, Allison, and I’m Ben Rivers. We’re heading to Seacliff for our honeymoon,” Will finished, smiling to himself that he got to choose his own name.

The innkeeper nodded, holding out his hand, “Name’s Augustine, though most people just call me Gus. This here’s my son Gideon, and my wife’s name is Helen. We run the Inn, although sometimes we have to take over the general store because Jon gets sick a lot. Half the stuff in there is our stock anyways,” he said, shaking his head.

Will eagerly took Gus’ hand, shaking it as if they were good friends.

All in one moment, the boy Gideon came back from where ever he had disappeared to with two plates of steaming lamb, Will pulled Alyss down to sit in the barstool beside him, and the drunkards behind them once more broke out into loud guffaws. Glancing behind her, the courier once more scanned the room, knowing that there was one more person than previously. But there was no sign of an extra person.

“So, honeymooners, huh?” Gus said, eyeing the two of them with a smile. “How long ago were you two married?”

“Little more than a week,” Alyss said, leaning onto the bar with an elbow. She looked over to Will, and smiled—which came easily, considering it wasn’t an act.

Will returned the genuine smile with the like, and reached down to lace his fingers with her’s.

To Gus, he probably had no suspicions if they were or weren’t who they said they were, Will knew. He knew because every time he looked at his wife, it was like he saw her for the first time. And it amazed him every time that she was his, and he was her’s.

“Well, that’s a cause for some celebration, ain’t it?” Gus said, reaching below the counter, and drawing up a large bottle of red wine. It wasn’t the expensive kind that Will was used to seeing in Redmont and Araluen, but it wasn’t the cheap kind either. Feigning surprise, Will reached out and took the bottle in hand, studying it in awe.

“Ah, Gus, I can’t have you open this for the two of us,” Will started, trailing off. Before he could say more, the innkeep took it back, corkscrew in hand.

“Well, I’ve been holding it for a while, and there’s been no reason to open it quite yet. Helen and I keep putting it off, so why not just open it now. Glasses for both?”

Looking down on the meal that Gideon had placed before them a few minutes before, Will knew that he shouldn’t. He was on duty, and he didn’t like wine anyways. He didn’t like alcohol in general, but he’d had to stomach it before to fit the bill of whatever character he was playing. But he’d never have to do it with expensive wine.

“Oh, don’t think I should,” Alyss suddenly said. She meaningfully dropped one of her hand’s to her lower abdomen, and looked away as if she were embarrassed. “I’ve been feeling iffy in the mornings, and I don’t think alcohol would help that.”

Gus, seemingly understanding, looked to Will. “Well, Ben? How ‘bout it? A toast? To you and your _family_?”

Will dropped his head, grinning sheepishly. Alyss got away from drinking, but she also somewhat cornered him into doing it. “Why not? Pour me a glass.”

The innkeep once more ducked below the bar, his thin frame disappearing completely. A moment later, and he was back, holding a few fancy wine glasses in one hand, and the bottle in the other. He poured a cup for himself and Will, and told Gideon to run back and collect his mother and then to wait on the table of farmers behind them. After Helen made her appearance, the four of them toasted to the newly married couple, Ben and Allison. Alyss held only a cup of water, whereas the others held the glasses of the semi-expensive wine.

Helen disappeared back into the kitchens with barely saying a word, her face grim. Alyss had tried to talk to her, thinking that the womanly connection would be to her advantage. All she got was a grumpy stare. She assumed that the wife wasn’t too happy with the event her husband chose to open the wine for.

Then Will and Alyss finally got to dig into their meals. It was a delicious cooked lamb with buttered mashed potatoes, cinnamon raison bread that was lightly toasted and was spread with a cherry jam, and some boiled carrots. A plain meal, but satisfying all the same for the traveling couple.

By the end of Will’s first cup, he knew something was wrong with the wine. Looking at the bottle, even as Gus continued to try and have a conversation with him, he noticed the rim of red along the top, as well as what looked like dregs floating at the bottom. Glancing into his cup, which Gus had refilled without him asked, to Will’s dismay, he noticed that the color wasn’t as thick as it should be. Taking another sip, he realized what was wrong—it was watered down wine. Probably three quarters of the bottle had been water, judging from what his cup looked like.

Not believing his luck that someone had been taking sips of Gus’ prized wine, he glanced over at Alyss—Just as he tipped the glass over like a shot glass, and downed the whole cup of wine.

Alyss covered her mouth as she grinned. Gus broke out laughing, before once more grabbing the wine bottle by its neck, and pouring Will another glass.

The Ranger didn’t even feel tipsy.

“So, Gus,” Alyss said, covering her mouth as she yawned. The bottle of wine was empty, Will no longer holding back from being the excitable newlywed that he was supposed to be, and Gus trying to keep up with him. Her husband didn’t _look_ drunk—in fact, he looked quite satisfied with himself—but she still couldn’t believe that he had downed that many glasses. “So, Gus,” she repeated, “we ran into a caravan today, just before making it here.”

Gus’ eyes darkened, and he frowned. “Let me guess,” he broke in, “they told you to continue through here, and not stop?”

Will nodded, drawing his finger along the rim of his empty glass. “Told us to ride through to Seacliff if we wanted to survive.”

Alyss broke in, her eyes growing serious. “They said that women were being kidnapped and raped, and being left for dead in the forest. They looked at me like I was next,” she shivered, adding to the feeling.

“And you still stopped?” Gus asked, looking at her with sympathy.

“We didn’t believe them,” Will said, slurring his voice partially. Gus wouldn’t notice, but Gideon would, who was sitting on a crate behind his father, munching on a roll.

“Well, those caravaners do tend to spread rumors,” Gus muttered, finally sweeping Alyss and Will’s plates off the bar, and handing them to Gideon. “No smart man would believe those bastards.” The innkeep’s voice slurred as well, but not that much. Will wondered if the man had noticed that the wine wasn’t even as potent as the watered down beer he sold.

“So what they said wasn’t true?” Alyss asked, finishing off her water.

Augustine paused for a moment, looking at both of them before sighing and pulling a stool underneath him. Before, he had been standing the whole time, but Will had seen a small stool for him to sit on pushed in the corner. “I won’t lie to you two,” he started, “there has been some trouble. But the rumors that they’ve been raping these woman is just horseshit, in my opinion. Yes, it’s tragic that these two woman have died, yes, they were taken from this world too early. But, in my honest opinion, miss,” he looked pointedly at Alyss as he continued, “you have nothing to worry about. In fact, it’s probably just a wild animal.”

Soaking that in, Will glanced over to Alyss, and took her hand as if to comfort her. He opened his mouth to say something, figuring now would be the prime opportunity to extract them from the situation.

Someone walked up from behind them, slapping a hand onto his shoulder. “You talkin’ ‘bout those ladies that were butchered out at the Sombra’s?” Will flinched at the hard voice, looking up in surprise at the woman who towered over him.

Dark skin, probably tanned from working outside day in and day out, with black hair and blacker eyes. She would have been intimidating, except for the smile that seemed to come easily, the type that crinkled her face. When she sat down beside him, Will noticed that there were lines on her face, and as her smile got wider, he realized that the skin wasn’t as tanned because of how the smiles wrinkled her face. Will smiled nervously, not liking the way she said ‘ _butchered’_.

“Amanda,” Gus said, bringing out a mug and what looked like a bottle of whiskey. Alyss’ eyes widened along with Will’s, not believing how much expensive alcohol this man had in store. “What did I say about not bothering new guests?”

“Well,” the woman started, looking exasperated, “I overheard your conversation, and heard you add your two cents.” Amanda turned, squinting an eye and looking pointedly between Will and Alyss. “My two cents—Gustine here is wrong. Those wounds weren’t made by a pack of savage animals, oh hell nah.”

Will was tempted to ask what she thought it was, but decided it was probably best to remain in the position he found himself in—leaning back, nearly in Alyss’ seat, with wide eyes focused on Amanda. He tried to smile, and make it seem like he was comforting Alyss, but his groping hand couldn’t find her’s.

“Well, then, why don’t you tell us what you think it is, Manda!” Someone yelled from the table, proffering a mug of ale into the air, and splashing it onto the men and women sitting around them. That startled the majority of the people back there to start a chorus of agreement, yelling for Manda to say her piece, yelling for Gus to say his, and yelling at each other to say theirs.

 _Apparently,_ Will realized, _this problem is a source of competition and amusement to the locals. They don’t care about the women who lost their lives._

“I believe,” Manda started, spinning in her chair and leaving her cup of whiskey on the bar, “that we are being invaded by a hoard of demons set on punishing us for our sins.”

Alyss gagged on the water in her mouth, causing Will to turn around to see if she was okay, urging her to spit out the water into the cup before she actually choked on the water.

“That makes no sense, you loony bitch,” someone yelled out, the slurring in their voice probably matching with how much alcohol they had consumed.

“OH YEAH,” Amanda called back across the barroom, “WELL WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS, GERALD?”

“I think it’s about time we go to bed,” Will whispered to Alyss, a hand on her back as she coughed. She hadn’t taken his advice, and tried to swallow the water. It hadn’t ended well.

Turning to Gus, who was obviously annoyed that this happened, but seemingly used to it, Will tapped the bar in front of him to catch his attention. “Sorry ‘bout this. I didn’t think it would start something like this. We just wanted to know that we’d be safe.”

Gus shook his head. “This happenes every night, prompted by one thing or another.” Seeing Alyss standing, still holding her chest, he reached underneath the counter, and brought up a key. Will was glad to see that it wasn’t more alcohol. “Here, you two get some rest, and I’ll try to get them to calm down.”

Will nodded, accepting the key. “Thank you,” he said, before turning around and leading Alyss by the arm up the stairs.

At the top, Will released her arm, and Alyss dropped the hand from her throat. “You going to stay a bit longer?” she whispered, gesturing down the steps. So far, from what they could hear, Gus was unsuccessful.

“I just want to hear what others think,” Will murmured back, already slipping down the stairs. He went silently, not looking back to see if Alyss waited at the stairs. He had handed her the key before he went down the steps, so he assumed that she would go to the room. Sitting in the corner of the steps, hidden in the shadows, Will leaned forward, trying to discern plausible causes from what the patrons said.

“It’s the demons!” he heard Manda yell, in response to someone calling out: “Werewolves! Vampires! Chupacabra!”

“What the hell is a chupacabra?” someone else spat out, smacking the head of the man beside him, presumably the person who had yelled it.

“It’s those damn Sombra sisters,” another woman cut in, “All of us ‘as been hearing those wailings and screamings coming from their property, don’t deny it. They hidin’ something, and I bet they cutting up those ladies for their soup!” A few people nodded at that, surprising Will with how easily they accused their neighbor of something.

“Are y’all nuts? It’s probably just bandits, or, as I said, wolves!” Gus snarled out, snatching some ale off the counter away from a customer’s reach.

Multiple people burst out laughing, taking their cups of alcohol in hand before Gus could take it away from them.

“Bandits can’t take out large groups of people as large as the one that disappeared of the Sombra’s property!” Amanda said, “DEMONS!”

“If bandits can’t take out large groups, then who says the Sombra’s can?” someone countered, pointed at Manda with the mug, more alcohol splashing out.

 _Large groups of people? What’re they talking about?_ Will narrowed his eyes, wondering what he was hearing. _Only three woman disappeared, not a whole group._ As someone yelled out the Sombra name again, Will tilted his head. _Most people seem to think they have something to do with it. We’ll have to check them out tomorrow, figure out their part in it._

“The Sombra’s _own_ the chupacabra, people!” the man yelled out, “They feed it with the meat of those women, only caring to protect their pet and not their neighbors!”

Hearing enough, Will slipped back up the stairs, his head pounding with a headache. There was so little information with this case, and it seemed like the local opinion was either blame it on someone they know, or blame it on mythical creatures.

At the top of the stairs, Will brushed his hands, dusting them off. And he felt no ring on his hand.

His wedding ring was gone.

Cursing, Will turned, hoping that it had slipped off when he had walked up the stairs, and not when he and Alyss were riding there or out back. Going back down the stairs, he searched each one carefully, knowing he would never live it down if he lost the ring. At the bottom two steps, Will paused, thinking he saw something underneath one of the empty booth tables near the steps.

“Gideon!” he heard Gus yell as he inched down the steps, “why don’t you get outta here, I don’t want you hearing all this. Go clean up that red paint on the well out back, and sleep at a friend’s house, got it?”

“Pa,” Gideon whined, “we don’t even _have_ red paint, what’re you talking about?”

As he got closer, Will was relieved to see the small band of silver under the table. Staying to the shadows, Will crawled forward, cringing because he was in full view to anyone who decided to look towards the staircase. Luckily, everyone was still arguing with everyone else, and Gus was too busy ordering Gideon.

“Kid, someone in this town must have red paint, because those rocks keep turning red. Go wash them off, and then get outta here.” Gideon groaned, and stomped through the door to the kitchen, supposedly walking to the back.

Will reached out, snatching up the ring of silver, and darting back up the stairs.

Remembering that the key said they were in Room 1, Will looked to the first room, and tapped on the door quietly. A moment later, it opened, Alyss peeking out the crack. Upon seeing him, she opened the door completely, letting him in.

She had already undressed, probably wanting out of that corset. She wore nothing except a thin shift, which barely covered her to her knees. She laid back down on the bed as Will undressed, watching as he slipped out of his shirt and pants.

“Should we drown out their arguments?” Alyss murmured, staring at him as he set his clothes beside one of their bags. They had carried them in, and before their food had come out, had carried them up the stairs and left them at the top. Alyss must have grabbed them when they separated.

Will smiled down at her, a grin forming. “They might be expecting it, us being newlyweds and all.”

With that, he rolled into the bed with her, his hand going underneath her shift as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Kissing each other tenderly, they let their pleasure drown out the arguments downstairs. They ignored the fact that both still wore some pieces of clothing, letting the other take them off as they moved along. With their bodies pressed together, moving in a rhythm only they would ever know, the couple was able to drift off into the night, with little semblance as to what was to come.

. . .

. . .

. . .

_The shadow grinned, happy that they finally found the window to Room 1. They watched through the curtains, glad to have found that there was still a crack to watch through. Seeing the motions the couple was going through, the shadow found themselves at an impasse._

_Which did they want more: the lithe and muscular Ranger, whose body was toned to perfection—or the curvaceous and sleek Courier, whose body looked warm and soft?_


	2. Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY sorry this took so long~

Kneeling in front of the crumbling well, Gideon muttered curses underneath his breath towards whoever was rude enough to continuously splash red paint on the stones. Every time his father told him to clean it off, Gideon always followed the directions, not wanting to upset him. But the next day he would be yelled at for not cleaning the well.

It was probably one of their neighbors, bitter over Gus raising prices or some other crap, Gideon thought to himself, bending over with the wet rag. The well was open for others to use, mainly because it was so old and mostly dried up, so there was really no way of knowing who was splashing the paint. Still, it was odd that people were using red paint around the old well either way, since there wasn't much use for it.

Sighing, Gideon started scrubbing at the paint. It was an old paint, he could tell, seeing how parts flaked off without him even needing to scrub. It was always like that, and he usually just kicked dirt over the red flakes, mixing them into the gravel so he wouldn't have to do more work than necessary.

Above him, something scraped against the roof, almost sounding like footsteps.

Gideon frowned, and looked up towards the gable. The window to the first room was situated up there, giving the occupants, the Rivers', if he remembered right, a good view of the beginning of the Sombra farm. Seeing nothing up on the roof, Gideon shrugged, and went back to his work, scrubbing with the rag along the stones.

A few minutes later, satisfied with his work, Gideon stood, and tossed the red-stained rag into a bucket of water. Lugging the bucket to the back door, the young boy paused once more—hearing a soft _thud_ behind him. Spinning, Gideon backed towards the door, ready to disobey his father's orders of spending the night at a friend's in favor of safety.

But no one or thing was behind him. The small clearing was empty, and nothing moved up the hill into the Sombra's land other than the midnight breeze, ushering in an overcast and dark day in the coming hours.

* * *

"So, are we heading on to Seacliff, or what?" Alyss asked, spearing some scrambled eggs onto her fork. Across from her, Will sat studying his wedding ring—his _real one_ —with confused intensity. He had a small plate of eggs and a muffin, as well as a steaming mug of coffee. Even undercover, Will refused to skip a serving of the dark, bitter liquid.

"Mmm," he tipped his head, but slid the silver ring back onto his finger, and picked up his mug. "I don't know," he said, taking a sip. After swallowing, he continued. "This area is nice, so I was thinking of staying for a few more days. Unless you wanted to continue on to Seacliff right away?"

Alyss shrugged, setting her fork down on her plate. "Well, after hearing everyone's opinions last night about the events, I'm not exactly scared anymore." She shrugged once more, this time brushing her hair out of her face, and over her shoulder.

They were only speaking for the benefit of Gus and the few other patrons that were sitting in the room, who were conversing in quiet tones. It would have been odd if, after hearing the news, the married couple had stayed in the area without an explanation. Making this conversation public, Alyss knew, would explain why they stayed, as well as giving them an excuse to explore the area.

"Good," Will said, picking up the muffin in his hands and pulling it apart. He reached for the butter at the end of the table, slathering some on the inside of the muffin. He considered the pot of honey between the two of them, and looked back down on the muffin, before shrugging and spooning some onto the muffin. "I was hoping to go a little south. I've heard there's a beautiful waterfall a few kilometers from here, that runs into a pool."

Nodding, Alyss watched Will's movements as he painted the crumbling muffin with more honey. The pastry was still steaming, but her husband's fingers didn't dance around because of the heat. In fact, his movements seemed more controlled and precise because of the heat. It was oddly mesmerizing, the way he used the back of the spoon the spread the honey rather than use the knife in front of him.

"Al?" Will murmured, his eyes flicking upwards to her face. He used a neutral nickname, one that he used for when her name was Alyss, but that still translated to her cover name of Allison. "You with me?" he continued, a small smile on his lips.

Alyss smiled at the genuine concern in his eyes. "Yea, hon. That sounds like fun."

They're talking drops to a minimum when Will finished spreading the honey across the muffin, with an extra dollop into his coffee. The courier watches Will fondly again for a moment, before digging into her own.

When they're finished, Will stands and moves over to the bar, where Gus stood serving other guests. Alyss stood as well, dusting her dress, and heading for the stairs. After a brief conversation, Will follows after her up the steps, and into their room. The moment the door was shut, Alyss grabbed the hem of her skirt, and flipped it over her head, shimmying out of the dress. Will moved to grab a small pack, one that looped itself on his belt.

As Alyss changed, looking in her bag for the pair of trousers she had brought, she called over her shoulder to Will: "So, you were thinking the Sombra farm, right?"

The Ranger nodded, but replied realizing Alyss didn't see. "That seemed to be the most prominent subject of last night's debate. Considering they were all drunk and prejudiced, it's probably not the best start, but it's a start all the same."

"Hum," was her reply as she stepped into the pants, and hoisted them up to her hips. From the same bag, she snatched out a long-sleeved, green-colored shirt that look suspiciously similar to a shirt Will had lost that winter. Will didn't say anything, though; he only watched as she pulled it over her breasts and tucked it into the trouser's band. She bent down once more, retrieving a belt with her saber and a knife on it.

It was always one disadvantage, the changing time, one that annoyed both of them. Will, because he was male, was able to walk around in his normal work clothes and not be questioned, but the moment Alyss stepped out in something other than a dress, everyone stared. It was a simple fact that wearing pants allowed the person wearing them to be unencumbered while working, but for some idiotic reason, women were seen as rebellious and unprofessional if they chose to wear pants, even if their work would be easier than if they wore pants.

Finally finished, Alyss tugged a jacket over her shoulders. Will opened the door that he had been leaning against, and they both walked out of their room, the courier locking it behind them. Instead of heading towards the main room where they had just eaten, the pair headed for the back stairs that would lead them to the back yard, with the old well, and the fence on the edge of the Sombra farm.

Upon opening the back door, they saw Helen, Gus's wife, bent over the well with a pail of water, the weak morning light paling her already bone white skin. She seemed to be scrubbing away at something. Alyss moved on Will's opposite side, so that he was between them if the woman happened to look up.

"Good day, miss," Will said cheerfully, stepping in front of Helen as Alyss moved on his other side and vaulted the fence.

Helen glanced up from her crouched position, a scowl on her face. "If ya need something, go back inside and ask Gus, boy. I'm busy." She looked back down to her work, scrubbing away at the rocks.

"Okay, then," Will muttered, stepping away from the woman, and going to follow Alyss over the fence. It's amazing, Will thought, watching her idly over his shoulder, that the bricks were still so rough after all of the scrubbing they seemed to go through.

Alyss had crouched behind the fence, and watched Helen with a level of interest. As Will walked towards her, both of them could hear clearly as if the woman was speaking directly to them: "That damn boy will be sorry when he gets back 'ere, skipping out on his chores like that. I taught him better than that . . ." she continued to mutter, but Will shook his head at her, and motioned her up the hill.

Together, the couple hiked up the hill, both quickly out of breath from the incline. As they climbed, Will spoke to Alyss in a hushed tone, explaining how, while farmers woke early and had a late breakfast, they were rarely in the house during the day due to large ranges that they had to check. They, of course, might come back for lunch, but they could have also taken food with them, giving them more time to search.

"So what'll we do?" Alyss murmured, looking up at the sky to study the clouds. They were coming close to the hilltop, and would soon be able to see the Sombra house.

"We'll make sure they're out, and when it comes around noon, we'll skip out of there," Will explained, crouching down as they came upon the top. Alyss copied his movements. "If they don't come back within the hour, we'll assume they brought food, and continue looking for a few more hours."

"'S reasonable," Alyss whispered back, nodding her head. She watched her husband peek over the side of the hill, noticing the way the sun accented his hair, turning it a slight auburnish color.

After a moment, a smile flickered across his lips. "They just left, and I see bags. Let's just wait a little longer, and then we'll go."

They waited together for a few more minutes, Will watching over the lip of the hill as the two silhouettes walked away from the house. Alyss had sidled up beside him, and studied the Sombra Farm. It was a simple, one story cabin, but was built wide, and covered a large expanse of the land atop the hill. There was a singular, rickety staircase that led to the front door, with two chairs beside each other on the ground. She could see a bulkhead cellar door leveling out of the ground on the right side of the house. On the left side, a fence penned in a few goats, and a few chickens pecked at the ground around the front.

Without a word, Will moved forward, straightening his posture. He walked towards the house, making no effort to hide himself. Alyss followed directly behind, making no effort either.

As the two of them made it to the front of the house, the chickens scurried away, flapping their wings and clucking out their distress upon the approach of the strangers. Alyss watched them with amusement, until she heard a click at the door. Turning, she saw Will as he put what looked like thin sticks of metal back into the small pouch at his side.

"I knew we were breaking in, but when the hell did you learn to use lockpicks?" Alyss asked incredulously. Will turned to face her, his eyebrows raised in surprise.

"I thought you knew?" he said, tying the pouch back closed, and pushing the door open absently.

"No? Since when would a Ranger need to know how to break into houses?" She placed her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowing as Will awkwardly turned away and peered into the house.

"Well . . ." Will trailed off, an odd look on his face. "I didn't learn it from Halt, if that's what you were wondering." He shrugged sheepishly, and stepped into the house.

Rolling her eyes, Alyss followed him in, saying: "Then who _did_ you learn it from?"

Will chuckled a little, while taking in the layout of the house. They were in the foyer. In front of them, the house continued into a surprisingly modern kitchen, and a small dining room. To their left was a closed door, and to their right was a window.

As he answered, Will opened the door to their left, shrugging in the process. "Well, a thief. I had to work with her for a mission, in exchange for her agreeing to be more subtle in her thefts, and also being hired by the Crown for other jobs." Alyss raised an eyebrow. Will continued on, "There's a lot of skills that could be useful to a Ranger, and not all of them are learned during training. Lockpicking, languages, disguises, such as you do at times, as well as other things. You know that I've been learning Sonderlandian from Joelle in Wensley, and I'm already fluent in Bedullin Arridan, as well as standard Arridan. Lockpicking is just another of those skills."

While he had been talking, he had looked into the room, finding only a king-sized bed and a small nightstand. A guest room, then, from the lack of personal items. He closed the door as he finished, turning back to Alyss. He shrugged in a way of explanation, but no other word was needed. Alyss nodded, understanding on her face. "I get that, yea," she said, "although how long ago was this mission with said thief?"

Grinning, Will winked, and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her cheek. "A few months ago, before these murders started."

Stepping forward to the rest of the house, Will gave a sarcastic bow, motioning into the kitchen. "Ladies first."

They had already decided what they were looking for, and had discussed it earlier before breakfast. There had been a few pieces of jewelery that had been stolen, and Will had given Alyss detailed descriptions. They were also looking for any extravagant pieces of wealth that a farmer wouldn't be likely to have, as plenty of money have been stolen off the multiple victims.

As they searched together, they wandered through the house, noting different things. On a desk near a window, Alyss found a small journal, and paged through it. There was nothing of interest in there, mainly notes on the animals the Sombra sisters owned, and certain dates to remember. After doing that, she had come upon another door, and had opened it, finding a bedroom with another single bed. This one had more personal affects in it, and she called Will over from where he was in another room. In a drawer, Alyss found a few jeweled pieces, but nothing that resembled what Will had described. The Ranger shook his head at them, even as he pulled up a receipt from a jeweler in Seacliffe that detailed a six-month paying schedule, in which one of the two sisters owed every month. Evidently, they had money, but not a lot.

In the same drawer where he had found the receipt, Will paged through other documents. The house deed, animal deeds, debts, more receipts, and other papers. At the bottom, a moderately sized bag was hidden, which chimed with what sounded like coins.

"This is at least a good hundred, or so," Alyss murmured, looking into the bag.

Will shrugged, and waved it away. "The murderer stole, in total, around three thousand." He shoved the bag back into it's spot, and glanced out the window. "Shit," he muttered, kicking the door shut. "We've been here too long."

Helping Alyss to her feet, they made their way through the house, heading towards the front door. Just as they got to the foyer—

"Tha's odd, Lucy, I thought I lock'd this door," a voice said, the door slowly opening.

Will cursed, and pulled Alyss back. The courier didn't need any encouragement, and slid into a random room they hadn't checked alongside Will. She shut the door, just as the front door closed, and they could hear the sound of two pairs of footsteps walk directly past their hiding spot.

They were in a room about the size of a closet, enough room for both of them to be comfortable and not squashed up into each other. That didn't stop Will from keeping Alyss pressed against his chest, his arm around her waist to keep the two of them close.

"We'll wait until they leave after lunch," Will breathed into her ear. Alyss silently nodded, her hand dropping to touch his hip.

A few moments later, another voice sounded from the far room. "Ay, Jo! Someone was paging through our notebook!" Alyss winced, recalling her careless paging, and how she hadn't put the book back on it's shelf.

Will released his arm from around her waist, and turned around to study the room they had hid in, realizing they were in a dead end situation. The walls were bare, and there were no windows. No furniture or anything—a bare room, completely void of anything, including light, except from what came from under the door crack. The minimal lighting spread across the floor, alighting upon the only thing in there—a metal ring set into the floor.

_The bulkhead door,_ Will recalled, kneeling down. _It opens on the other side of the house, coming from the ground. That must mean there's a cellar._ Alyss was still at the door, her ear pressed to the wood. Both of them heard the next words, despite their opposing positions: "Someone was in our jewelery too, babe, and the papers. They even took out the bill for your necklace."

Feeling for the outline of the door, Will cursed his carelessness. "Al," Will whispered, drawing Alyss's attention. When she turned, he pointed down to the ring.

Stepping away from the door, she kneeled beside her husband and felt along the crack. She looked up at him, and nodded. The trapdoor would lead to the cellar, and the cellar had a bulkhead door, giving them an escape route to freedom. They hadn't found anything conclusive in the Sombra house, so it was best to just get the hell out while they still could.

Taking the metal ring in hand, Will opened it slowly, and Alyss readied herself to slip inside—even as the hinges creaked and squeaked and groaned. The noise was loud enough that it echoed in the small room, and most likely traveling to the ears of the owners of the house. The Ranger winced, and pulled it completely open, swifter than before.

"'The hell was that?" the first voice snapped. Footsteps quickly made their way towards the closet that the couple was hiding in.

"Go!" Will whispered fiercely. Alyss dropped into the hole, not waiting to be told again. Will went around, and slid in behind her, his feet finding a foothole that Alyss had forgoed. He closed the door, not bothering with closing it slowly or keeping it from slamming, and dropped to the dirt floor beside Alyss, thankful that it wasn't such a long drop.

Placing a hand on the wall, Will quickly reoriented himself, thinking what direction would take them to the door.

Above them, the closet door slammed open.

Taking Will's hand, Alyss took off in a direction, pulling him along behind her. Quickly realizing that they were indeed going in the correct direction, Will picked up his own pace, lessening the distance between the two of them.

Something caught Will's foot, causing him to stumble. Soon enough, Alyss stumbled as well, nearly falling but catching herself against the wall. Looking down, white sticks were scattered all over the floor, the amount increasing as they got closer to the light seeping through the doors of the bulkhead.

Behind them, the trapdoor had flung open, and the two of them could hear the two women cursing as they came down the ladder. Finally, they both jumped as Alyss had, and fell to the ground. They started after them.

Alyss stopped running, and Will hit the wall before he turned around, Seeing the door in front of them, the two of them climbed up the creaking steps—only to push on the door, and find it locked.

"Damn it!" Alyss cursed, kicking the door.

"Watch behind us," Will murmured, once more pulling his lockpicks out. He began working the lock, slipping one of the silver hooks into the top of the lock while he had a flat, thin blade pushed into the bottom.

Turning around, Alyss saw through the gloom the two women stumbling through some of the white sticks—which almost looked like bones. Crinkling her face in disgust, she backed up a step—only to hear Will cuss and something metal clink on the wood and fall into the cracks of the steps.

The Ranger quickly pulled out another pick, and continued working the lock, his hands slippery from nerves. He could hear his wife's breath coming heavy, and felt as her hip leaned up against his side as she waited.

A few long moments later, and there was a click. Even as Will threw open the two bulkhead doors, someone from within the cellar yelled: " _Stop!"_

Together, the Ranger and the Courier pushed out of the cellar, and started sprinting across the field towards the only semblance of cover they could see—a forest in the opposite direction that the inn was in.

* * *

"Can we go back to the inn yet," Alyss mumbled, rolling onto her back to stare at the darkening sky. "Gus knows that we're staying, so he'll wonder where we are. Plus all of our stuff is back there."

Will looked down on his pitiful dinner of a hunk of bread and a chunk of cheese, and shoved the rest in his mouth. He had told Alyss to take the salted meat he had brought, as she had begun feeling queasy while they had laid down in the forest. He assumed it was because of an empty stomach. Thankfully, she hadn't gotten sick, but still seemed somewhat pale.

"I can still see them walking around their house," Will replied from his position up in the tree. Every hour or so, he had climbed up there to check on where the Sombras were, as they had to go across their land to get back to the inn. Technically, they could go around, but to one way was a river with no ford, and the other way was still the Sombra land, which stretched far enough that it would take longer than just waiting until dark and crossing the field directly.

"Hum," Alyss frowned, and curled her knees to her chest and rolled onto her side. Above her, she could hear Will make his way down the tree, far faster than what was probably safe. She dismissed his recklessness, though, assuming it to be nerves or just him having fun in a unfortunate situation.

Up above, Will scrambled down the trunk, out of _panic,_ landing on a branch and swinging himself down to the ground. Alyss's eyes jerked open when he landed on the ground, having fallen from a high branch and landing with a loud _THUMP_. Without explaining, Will grabbed Alyss under the armpits and began to drag her backwards into the shadow of the tree.

"Will!" Alyss gasped, struggling to stand up. He only let go of her when he bent down to pull something out of the bag he had packed before they had left—his Ranger cloak. "Will, what the hell? You shouldn't have that, someone will recognize—"

He threw it at her. "Put it on, crawl into that bush," he told her, packing up the rest of the bag.

"Care to tell me what's going on," Alyss grumbled, clasping the cloak around her throat and pulling up the hood. Considering it was his own cloak, the hem was short at the bottom, and showed her boots even when she straightened it out.

Throwing the pack over his shoulder, he motioned her into the bush. "They're coming this way with something," he whispered. Knowing that the women had seen them run this way, his words had an immediate reaction from Alyss. She spun, and slid under the bush that Will had pointed out, watching as Will slid the bag in after her. He went around the thick foliage, and went to his knees—

Right when a stick cracked underneath a foot, and two voices floated their way to the Ranger and the Courier's ears.

Will finished slipping partway underneath his cloak, pressing close to Alyss. Motioning for her to drop her head some, Will settled his chin on the pack, his arm wrapped around it with his other arm tightening over Alyss's back underneath the cloak.

Both fell completely still, just as two silhouettes made their way into the small clearing.

"Over here," the taller one said, not bothering to whisper. The two shadows moved underneath the tree Will had been climbing, and the shorter one dropped a lumpy, heavy sack to the ground.

The taller shadow had been carrying something else, and just then brought their pack around from their back. What seemed like two sticks ended up being two shovels, and, after handing their companion one, then dropped the sack and began to dig.

They were at it for at least an hour, the sky darkening until one of the women stopped shoveling and lit a lantern. The orange light lit up their faces, finally giving Will and Alyss a good look at who the Sombra sisters really were.

Right away, it was obvious that they weren't truly sisters. One had long, dark hair tied up behind their neck, with golden brown skin and dark eyes. Her full face was smudged with what dirt they had brought up already, and her stocky body rippled with muscles as she dug. The other one had called her Lucy, but Will recalled one of the bills saying "Luciana" in the form. The other was near exact opposite. The taller of the two, the second one had extremely short, white blond hair, framing a thin face. Thin lips sat below wide, pale blue eyes. Although she was thinner than her companion, though, Will could see lean muscles working her arms. The one called Lucy had been calling her Jo, but Will hadn't seen any name with Jo or anything similar on any papers.

Either way, from his angle, he knew that they weren't anyone to be dismissed. Large plot of land, independent, and obviously strong, there were plenty of factors lending a hand to their conspicuousness.

"Okay," Jo said, jumping down into the hole. The edges came up to her hips, telling Will the hole was just over three feet deep, if his estimation of her height was correct. Lucy man-handled the heavy sack into her arms, and handed it down to Jo, where she placed it at the bottom, and climbed out of the hole with the help of her companion. After she was out, they once more picked up their shovels, and began filling the hole back in.

The moment it was filled, the two women packed up their shovels, and made their way out of the clearing.

Will kept his arm over Alyss for a long while after their footsteps faded. "Stay here for a moment," Will whispered in her ear, and slid out of the bush backwards. Even without his cloak on, Alyss found it difficult to pick out his slinking shadow as he made his way towards the trunk of the tree.

Grabbing two handholds, Will pulled himself up into the branches of the tree, balancing easily on the thin branches. Over and over again, he repeated the process, pulling himself up the tree until he could see over the forest, and into the Sombra farmland. He waited a moment at the top before seeing a bobbing lantern in the pitch blackness. In it's light, he once more saw the opposing figures.

Satisfied, Will ducked down, and climbed back down the tree, not bothering with being silent or concealing his movements.

"We're good, you can come out," Will said at a normal volume in Alyss's direction. "Let's wait a bit longer and then make our way back to the inn."

Sliding out of her hiding spot, Alyss pushed back the hood. "We're going to dig this thing up though, right?" she said, kicking at the overturned earth.

Will nodded. "Definitely. And we better do it now, in the dark, so no one will catch us."

* * *

_The shadow stood over her for a moment, but before she could do anything, there was a boot._

_It was always the fucking boot._

_It slammed into her gut—her head—her crotch—her hip—her gut again. Something snapped in her chest, and suddenly it was hard to breath._

" _C'mon ya little bitch," it hissed, laying it's body over her. It's hands groped down her pants, it's fingers sliding into her—violating her._

_She opened her mouth to scream—but something moved inside her, coming up her throat and pooling out of her mouth. She couldn't make a sound, and all she wanted to do was scream._

_The shadow groaned, pushing against her, sliding her pants and undergarments down with it's hand. She closed her eyes, spitting whatever was in her mouth out. It was gooey, and tasted like copper._

" _Well, well, yer ain't gonna last much longer with that, arn't cha?" it cackled—and then it pushed, and pushed, and she wanted to scream but only tasted blood and dirt and spit and—_

_Before she knew what was happening, it was over. She must've blacked out, though she didn't know for how long. She was over the shoulder of the shadow, her body jerking with it's every movement. Every step dug it's shoulder into her chest, moving whatever was loose deeper and deeper. Dropping her suddenly, her head cracked against something, and the ground seemed to open up below her, swallowing her up, stone on all sides, the dark sky above, and only emptiness below._

_This time, she screamed._

* * *

"It's a fucking _dog,_ " Will hissed, throwing the shovel at the ground. His hair was matted with dirt, his face streaked with mud where he had wiped sweat off his face.

Alyss peeked over the edge, dirt in her hair. She had been taking a break, laying on the side where they could still talk. "What? I thought it was going to be a damn body!" she groaned, letting her chin rest on the edge with a pout on her face.

"Were you _hoping_ for it to be a dead person?" Will asked in disbelief, narrowing his eyes and looking up to her.

"Well, I didn't want this to be for nothing," Alyss motioned towards the sky and the expanse of stars above them. It was well past midnight. "Not that I didn't expect something like this, but I don't exactly enjoy being up for twelve hours straight." She sat up straight, swinging her legs over the edge.

" _Well,"_ Will retorted, straightening up within the hole, " _you're_ the one who initiated everything last night. Therefore, _you're_ the reason we've been up for twelve hours." The way they were, Will's chin came up level to her stomach, and Alyss had to look down to meet his eyes.

She raised an eyebrow, noticing their position. "Me?" Alyss shot back, "Who's the one who insisted we come back to dig up a _dog!"_ She said it with a smirk on her face. She was moreover arguing because it was something to do, and enjoyed how she towered over her husband in the process. Maybe later would go just as well as their last night did.

"You!" Will threw up his arms in exasperation, nearly kicking the dead dog in the process. He couldn't help the smile on his face either, and he leaned closer. "You said we'd have to dig it up. I just agreed!"

"Fine," Alyss stood up, brushing off the dirt that had gotten everywhere. Will backed away to avoid being kicked. "Fine. Can we just go back to the inn then, babe? I'm tired."

"Well," he said again, looking at his surroundings. He pursed his lips, at set his hands on his hips. "I'm going to need help getting out. After that, though, definitely."

Alyss looked down, seeing how the three foot hole shortened him. It was up well past his hips, and being covered in dirt as he was, it had a pretty comical look. As tall as she was, and as shortened as Will was, she had to look nearly directly down to see him. Alyss's smile twisted as she tried to stifle her laughter—but ultimately failed as she doubled over, loosing her breath in a matter of seconds.

After taking a good ten minutes to calm down, Alyss ended up not being able to help Will out. Instead, he improvised a step with the shovel stuck in the ground, and stepping first on the blade and then on the handle. Alyss had continued to cackle from her position above ground, watching as her husband failed multiple times with his improvised ladder.

When he had finally gotten out, with no help from Alyss, the two of them quickly pushed the dirt back into the hole, reburying the dead dog. They cleaned up their mess, picking up the pack and Will's cloak, and shoving what they could in the bag.

Alyss at first carried the pack, and Will had the shovels, but soon enough the shovels were placed inside the pack, sticking out such as the Sombra sisters had had their shovels. Will had taken the pack and was carrying it, and had one arm snug around Alyss's shoulders, holding her close. Alyss held and arm around his waist, while her head was rested on his shoulder.

They walked like that, across the Sombra land, taking a longer way, in order to avoid the dark house, all the way to the inn. They chatted like a normal couple, laughing at Horace's latest attempt to woo Cassandra (not that they weren't already married. Married couples needed to have some fun. And if catching murderers were Will and Alyss's version, then at least they could laugh at their friend's attempts to have some fun.) They slid, giggling, down the hill that lead to where they were staying, and hopped the fence without a second thought.

Making their way towards the back door, Will didn't notice the moment Alyss paused, and let her arm slip away. He _did_ notice eventually, and at the door turned towards her, his eyebrows raised beseechingly.

"I thought I heard something," she murmured, her eyes looking over the small area. She took in the fence, the area going up to the Sombra land, and the small yard she stood in the middle of. The well looked . . . Iffy. It had seemed wrong the moment she first saw it, but she had brushed it off as nerves as getting to their mark.

She took a step towards the well.

"Will?" she said, realizing he had never responded to her comment. She looked up towards the door, tearing her eyes away from the well.

The door was closed, and Will was gone. She could see a light underneath the door, and a shadow of feet, but that didn't discount that she was alone, in the dark, next to a well that once more had splattered, red paint on the side.

And it looked wet.

Taking one last glance at the door, Alyss kneeled down beside the well, wanting a better look at the marks. It looked thick and dark, and nothing like "paint". The courier raised her hand, and touched one of the spots with a finger, feeling the gooey texture and grainy feeling to it. She rubbed it between thumb and forefinger, and brought it up to her nose.

It smelled of copper.

She dropped her hand, realizing that it wasn't paint on the well. It had never been paint on the well.

It was blood.

A thick hand closed over her shoulder, startling a yell out of her. The hand, gripping her tightly, spun her around and pushed her back against the well—and Alyss stared up at a wide shadow towering over her, bearing down on her.


End file.
